A frame.

The invention relates to a frame, particularly a frame of a push-chair for a child, often known as a baby buggy.

Such frames are usually foldable for storage and/or ease of transport. They often too fold in a "fore and aft" direction, that is by bringing the front and rear wheels closely together in the folded position, whereby a carrying tray or receptacle which in use is below the seat, can be retained in the buggy in both the erected and folded condition. It is sometimes desirable to have the seat in which the child sits, facing the pusher of the buggy and sometimes to face away from him (or her). It is also sometimes desirable to replace the seat with another kind, such as a cot if an infant is to be transported. For this it is desirable to have an angular positioning device, for example as shown in FR-A-2508989. Such a mechanism, however, has the disadvantage that it must cooperate with a frame member, so leading to accidental operation and hence the possibility of the seat being tilted without warning.

It is therefore an object of the invention to seek to provide a frame which will obviate this disadvantage.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a frame for removably supporting a member in a plurality of angular positions, comprising a manually-operable mechanism which is adapted to support the member whereby that member is fixedly mountable in and releasable from the frame, the mechanism also providing adjustment of the member to a desired fixed angular position in relation to the frame by interengageable teeth means of the mechanism, the mechanism comprising a mounting lug which is rotatable to said desired fixed angular position and a manually operable cam device for releasing the teeth means for rotation to a desired said position, characterised by retractable pin means (14) for securing the member (3) in the frame (1).

The frame may be a wheeled frame.

The member may comprise a seat means such as a child's seat or cot or pram.

There may be two pin means which pass through the mounting lug.

The mounting lug may have a mounting device complementary to a mounting device of the seat means.

The complementary mounting devices may comprise a substantially dove-tail shape projection on the lug and a substantially dove-tail shape blind slot on the seat means.

The lug may be mounted under pressure of biassing means adapted to bias the teeth apart.

The mechanism may comprise a lever which is movable between discrete positions whereby to allow locking of the seat means in the frame, angular adjustment thereof in the frame, and removal thereof from the frame.

Alternatively the mechanism may comprise a member rotatable to a plurality of discrete positions whereby to allow locking of the seat means in the frame, angular adjustment thereof in the frame, and the removal thereof from the frame.

The rotatable member may be releasable for rotation by a press stud.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a universal child support system comprising a frame as hereinbefore defined, a plurality of interchangeable seat means for mounting in and removal from the frame, and a support for a seat means when not in the frame.

The support may be a bouncer frame.

The seat means may include a child's car seat which is adapted for mounting in and removal from a car (or other vehicle) and for mounting in the frame and/or the bouncer frame as desired.

A frame embodying the invention is hereinafter described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the frame according to the invention, in the form of a wheeled buggy, with a seat means in one position;</li><li>Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the buggy of Fig. 1 with the seat means in a different angular position;</li><li>Fig. 3 is an enlarged exploded view of a manually operable mechanism of the frame of Figs. 1 and 2 whereby the seat means is mountable in, removable from, and adjusted angularly with respect to, the frame;</li><li>Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of part of the mechanism of Fig. 3, from outside the frame;</li><li>Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the part of Fig. 4, from inside the frame;</li><li>Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the part of the mechanism of Figs. 4 and 5;</li><li>Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view of the part of the mechanism of Figs. 4 and 5;</li><li>Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively top and bottom plan views of the part of the mechanism of Figs. 4 and 5;</li><li>Figs. 10 and 11 are respective end elevational views of the part of the mechanism of Figs. 4 and 5, taken in the direction of arrows "A" and "B" respectively;</li><li>Fig. 12 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of manually operable mechanism according to the invention, comprising a rotatable member;</li><li>Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the frame according to the invention, in the form of a wheeled buggy, with a seat means in one position using the mechanism of Fig. 12;</li><li>Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the buggy of Fig. 13. with the seat means in a different angular position;</li><li>Figs. 15-15c are respectively enlarged inside elevational, transverse sectional, outside elevational and plan view of part of the second embodiment of manually operably mechanism of Fig. 12;</li><li>Fig. 16-16C are respectively enlarged inside elevational transverse sectional and outside elevational view of part of the mechanism of Figs. 13-13c ; and</li><li>Figs 17A to 17D are respectively enlarged inside elevational, side elevational transverse sectional (on line B-B of Fig. 14D) and outside elevational views of a wedge and ratchet device according to the invention.</li></ul>

Referring to the drawings, in which like parts are identified by like reference numerals, and which show a right hand part of the frame (the opposite hand always corresponds so only one is shown for clarity) there is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 a frame 1 (in the case of a buggy 2) for removably supporting child support means such as a seat means 3 for a child in a plurality of angular positions, comprising a manually operable lateral mechanism 4 which is adapted to support the seat means 3 whereby that seat means 3 is fixedly mountable in and releasable from the frame 1, the mechanism 4 also providing adjustment of the seat means 3 to a desired fixed angular position in relation to the frame 1.

The frame 1 comprises two spaced side frame parts 5 and 6 of metal mounted on wheels, and being foldable fore and aft by the front or leading elongate members, comprising metal, usually metal tube being "breakable" at an elbow pivot, the fore and aft parts of each side frame part being connected by a "breakable" strut 7 to allow collapsing of the frame 1 when broken and when a secondary catch at the elbow pivot is also released.

To achieve this, the fore tube member of each side frame part comprises two elongate members which in the erect position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are more or less aligned, the lower (in use when erected) elongate member being secured in a housing 8 which provided part of the mechanism 4, Figs. 3-11.

The housing 8 is a plastic moulding which comprises the mechanism 4 which has a manually operable lever 9 receivable in a recess 10 in the housing 8 on the outside of the frame (as considered in use). The housing 8 includes a bore 11 in which the slidable plastic plug 12 is reciprocable, being mounted on a rod 13 connected to the lever 9 and having two projecting pins 14 spaced apart on a diameter, the rod 13 passing therebetween. The mechanism 4 also includes a rotatable device or lug 15 secured to the rod 13 by a nut 16 in a recess 17 urged away from the housing 8 by biassing means in the form of a coil spring 18 mounted on the rod 13 and acting between an outer (in use) face of the device 15 and an inner face of the housing. The device 15 has two through bores 19 aligned with the pins 14 and carries on one face a mounting means in the form of a substantially dove-tail shaped projection 20 which is complementary in shape to a blind dove-tail shaped recess 21 in a mounting block 22 on a side frame 23 of the seat means 3.

The opposite face or side of the device 15 to the projection 20 has a circumferential array of teeth 24 which face and are adapted to engage with a fixed circular array of teeth 25 on a part 26 of the housing 8 on the inside of the frame 1 in use. The lever 9 has a cam face 27, in this case a flat, for engaging the plug 12 at a face 29 and a push button 28 which operates a latch in the recess 10 so that the lever 9 can be pivoted therefrom. There is a further latch or stop 30 which engages the lever 9 in an intermediate position and which has to be released to release the lever 9 for pivoting to a position in which it projects at substantially 90° from the housing recess 10, for removal of the seat means 3.

In use the frame 1 is used to support the seat means 3, the complementary dove-tail projection 20 at each side of frame 1 being received in the adjacent dove-tail blind slot 21 of the seat means 3 (it will be understood that there is an identical mechanism 4 at each side of the frame 1).

The lever 9 is pivoted to a position in which it is latched by the first latch in the recess 10 (Fig. 3), so that the pins 14 project inwardly beyond the inner face of the projection 20 and engage in aligned holes 31 in the mounting block 22 of the seat means 3, the holes 31 being in a face of the dove-tail slot 21. The pins 14 thus lock or retain the seat means 3 in the frame 1. The seat means 3 is in the Fig. 1 position, facing foreward, that is away from the pusher, and the teeth 24, 25 are meshed. The seat means 3 is thus firmly retained in the frame 1 and in the desired angular position shown, Fig. 1. If it is desired to adjust the angular position to say the Fig. 2 position, where the seat means 3 faces the pusher, the push button 28 is pushed and the lever 9, now released from the first latch, is pivoted out of the recess 10 under finger pressure applied to the free end, opposite its pivot 32 and the rod 13. This action causes the cam 27 to act on the adjacent face 29 of the plug 12 and to push the device 15 away from the housing 8, compressing the spring 18 so that the intermeshing teeth 24, 25 disengage. The pins 14 are still projecting and hence the seat means 3 is still retained in the frame 1. The seat means 3 can then be rotated to the desired angular position, the lever 9 is returned to the first position, so drawing the rod 13 and hence the device 15 back towards the housing 8 so that the teeth 24, 25 intermesh once more. The seat means 3 is then locked in the new positon (Fig. 2). The lever 9 is latched by the first latch, flush in the housing 8.

If it is desired to remove the seat means from the frame and replace it by say a cot (not shown) which has an identical mounting block 22, the push button 28 is again pushed to release the lever 9 which is pivoted to the first position which is at about 60° to the housing 8. The second latch 30 is then operated to release the lever 9 for further movement to 90° which action disengages the cam 27 from the plug 12 and effectively pushes the rod 13 inwardly so that the device 15 slides over the pins 14 and they no longer project from the device 15 and consequently are withdrawn from the holes 31 in the mounting block. The seat means 3 can then be removed from the frame 1 by lifting off dove-tail projection 20.

Referring now to Figs. 12-15D, there is shown in Figs. 13 and 14 a second embodiment of buggy 100 which has an alternative operating mechanism which replaces the lever mechanism 9 of the buggy shown in Figs. 1 and 2, which buggy in all other respects is the same as described for the first embodiment described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2. As before, in the second embodiment, the frame 1 comprises two spaced side frame parts of metal mounted on wheels, and being foldable fore and aft by the front or leading elongate members, comprising metal, usually metal tube, being "breakable" at an elbow pivot, the fore and aft part of each side frame part being connected by a "breakable" strut to allow collapsing of the frame when broken and when a secondary catch at the elbow pivot is also released.

To achieve this, the fore tube member of each side frame part comprises two elongate member which in the erect position shown in Figs. 13 and 14 are more or less aligned, the lower (in use when erected) elongate member being secured to a housing 8 which provides part of the manually operable mechanism 4 (Fig. 12).

The mechanism 4 comprises a dove-tail spigot (not shown) on a side frame member of a removable seat, (also not shown) which is receivable in and demountable from a dove-tail shaped wedge and ratchet plate 15 of the mechanism. The mechanism 4 also comprises a hand rotatable member or knob 9′ which sits in a part 8′ which has a notch or detent 8˝ for receiving a member 33 internally of the know 9′ and which has a finger stud 34 which is depressible against spring 35 to run below the member 8′ which also has a fixed cam track 37. The knob 9′ also carries the plate 12 carrying the two spigots 14 for engaging in holes for retaining the seat and frame together.

The housing 8 is a plastic moulding which includes a bore 11 in which the slidable plastic plug 12 is reciprocable, the plug carrying the two projecting pins 14 spaced apart on a diameter and being securable to the member 33 and hence the knob 9′ <u style="single">via</u> a nut 12′ and a bold 15′ by which the ratchet plate 15 which is rotatable with the knob 9′, is secured thereto under pressure of biassing means in the form of a coil spring 18 mounted on the bolt 15′ and acting between an outer (in use) face of the device 15 and an inner (in use) face of the housing 8. The device 15 has a through bore 19 alignable with the pins 14 so that they can pass therethrough to engage in holes in mounting block of the seat to secure the seat in the frame in one position. There is a dove-tail shaped projection 20 which is complementary to a blind dove-tail shape recess in the mounting block on a side frame of the seat means, as in Figs. 1 and 2.

The device 15 has a circumferential array of teeth which face and are adapted to engage with a fixed circular array of teeth or part 26 of the housing 8 on the inside of the frame (in use).

In the position shown in Fig. 13, the seat faces forwards that is in the direction of travel, the dove-tail spigot and slots being in engagement and ratchet teeth being intermeshed to lock the seat in the required angular positon. To adjust the "tilt" of the seat it is merely necessary to press the stud 34 to release the knobs 9′ so that it is rotatable manually so that it rides over cam track 37 to a lower part thereof so that it moves to the left as viewed to release the ratchet teeth 24, 26 under pressure of spring 18 so that the frame can be rotated to a new desired angular position, the knob 9′ then being returned manually to the original position to lock the seat in the new desired angular position when it rides up the cam track and draws the device 15 outwards against spring 18, when the stud 34 "pops into the slots".

In order to prevent accidental operation, the stud 34 in the member 33 has to be depressed in the recess 8˝ so as to be aligned therewith before the knob 9′ can be turned, the edge of the stud 34 engaging with an edge of the slot 8˝ through which the stud protrudes in the normal, locking, position. The pressing and turning operation can be carried out with one thumb pressing action followed by a turning action.

The seat is released from the frame by depression of the stud 34 as before and turning the member 9′ fully to a final angular position to withdraw the spigots 14 from the hole fully as in the first embodiment, so that the seat can be lifted from the wedge 15. The seat can be replaced by a pram-type child carrying device, and placed say in a baby-bouncer type support having a wedge or in a car having a support with a wedge.

In either embodiment, the seat means 3 or child support means such as a cot or car seat by be mounted in a vehicle or placed on a support such as a wire support which has mounting bloks with dove-tail shape projections. The wire support may be resilient, providing a baby bouncer.

A cot or pram body with mounting blocks like the ones of the seat means may then be placed and secured in the frame.

The invention therefore provides a universal baby or child support system which is flexible yet efficient.